# Raphe

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{{For|the Hebrew diacritic|Rafe}}
{{Conceptdab}}
{{Wiktionary}}
'''Raphe''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|eɪ|f|i}} {{respell|RAY|fee}}; from {{langx|grc|ῥαφή|rhaphḗ|seam}};<ref name="Liddell & Scott">Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press.</ref> {{plural form}}: '''raphae''' or '''raphes''') (meaning needle) has several different meanings in scientific terminology.

In [botany](/source/botany) and [planktology](/source/planktology), it is commonly used when describing a seam or ridge on [diatom](/source/diatom)s or [seed](/source/seed)s.

In animal anatomy, it is used to describe a ridged union<ref>{{DorlandsDict|nine/000956341|raphe}}</ref> of continuous [biological tissue](/source/biological_tissue). There are several different significant anatomical raphes:

* The [raphe nucleus](/source/raphe_nucleus) is a moderate-size cluster of nuclei found in the brain stem that releases [serotonin](/source/serotonin) to the rest of the brain. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants are believed to act at these nuclei.
* The [buccal raphe](/source/buccal_raphe), which is on the [cheek](/source/cheek) and evidence of the fusion of the [maxillary](/source/Maxillary_prominence) and [mandibular process](/source/mandibular_process)es
* The [lingual raphe](/source/lingual_raphe) on the [tongue](/source/tongue). Obvious physical evidence of the lingual raphe includes the [frenulum](/source/Frenulum_of_tongue) (also called the frenum), or band of [mucous membrane](/source/mucous_membrane) that is visible under the tongue attaching it to the [floor of the mouth](/source/floor_of_mouth). If this raphe is too tight at birth, movement of the tongue is restricted and the child is said to be "tongue tied".
* The [palatine raphe](/source/palatine_raphe) on the roof of the mouth (or [palate](/source/palate)). Incomplete fusion of the palatine raphe results in a [congenital defect](/source/congenital_defect) known as [cleft palate](/source/cleft_palate).
* The [pharyngeal raphe](/source/pharyngeal_raphe) joins the left and right pharyngeal constrictors.
* The [perineal raphe](/source/perineal_raphe) extends from the [anus](/source/Human_anus), through the mid-line of the [scrotum](/source/scrotum) (scrotal raphe), and upwards through the ventral mid-line aspect of the [penis](/source/Human_penis) ([penile raphe](/source/penile_raphe)) in males.  In females, it extends from the [anus](/source/Human_anus), through the mid-line of the [perineum](/source/perineum) to the posterior junction of the [labia majora](/source/labia_majora).
* The anococcygeal raphe, an alternative name for the [anococcygeal body](/source/anococcygeal_body)
* The [iliococcygeal raphe](/source/iliococcygeal_raphe) 
* The [pterygomandibular raphe](/source/pterygomandibular_raphe)
* The [lateral palpebral raphe](/source/lateral_palpebral_raphe)
* The [mylohyoid raphe](/source/mylohyoid_raphe)

==Teratology==

In [teratology](/source/teratology), a malformation or [congenital disorder](/source/congenital_disorder) involving a raphe, such as [spina bifida](/source/spina_bifida), is known as a '''dysraphism'''.

==References==
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{{Set index article}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Raphe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphe) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphe?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.